What are the logic components used in currently commonly used microcomputers?

The logic components used in currently commonly used microcomputers are "large-scale and very large-scale integrated circuits". Electronic computers are divided into four generations according to the logic devices used in manufacturing them. The fourth generation of computers (from 1971 to the present) is a large-scale integrated circuit computer. The logic components use large-scale and very large-scale integrated circuits (LSI and VLSI).

According to the logic devices used in manufacturing electronic computers, they are divided into the following four generations:

• The first generation of computers (1946~1958) was a tube computer.

  In terms of hardware, the logic components use vacuum electron tubes, the main memory uses mercury delay lines, cathode ray oscilloscope tube electrostatic memories, magnetic drums, and magnetic cores; the external memory uses magnetic tapes. The software uses machine language and assembly language. The application fields are mainly military and scientific computing.

  The disadvantages are large size, high power consumption and poor reliability. The speed is slow (generally thousands to tens of thousands of times per second) and expensive, but it lays the foundation for future computer development.

• The second generation computer (1958~1964) was a transistor computer.

  Transistor computer mainframes use semiconductor devices such as transistors, use drums and disks as auxiliary storage, use algorithmic languages ​​(high-level languages) for programming, and operating systems begin to appear. Because transistors are used instead of electron tubes, they are very light and can operate at a relatively fast speed, reaching hundreds of thousands of times per second. The basic logic components of transistor computers were changed from electron tubes to transistors. The internal memory used a large number of magnetic cores made of magnetic materials, and the external memory used magnetic disks.

  At the same time, computer software technology has also developed greatly, and the concept of operating system has been proposed. In addition to assembly language, high-level programming languages ​​​​such as Ada, FORTRAN, and COBOL have also been developed to make computers more efficient. Work efficiency has been greatly improved
  

  The application fields of operating systems, high-level languages ​​and their compilers in software are mainly scientific computing and transaction processing, and have begun to enter the field of industrial control. It is characterized by reduced size, reduced energy consumption, improved reliability, increased computing speed (generally 100,000 operations per second, and can be as high as 3 million operations), and performance that is greatly improved compared to the first generation computers.
  

• The third generation computer (1965～1970) is an integrated circuit computer.

  In terms of hardware, the logic components use medium and small-scale integrated circuits (MSI, SSI), and the main memory still uses magnetic cores. In terms of software, time-sharing operating systems and structured and large-scale programming methods have emerged. It is characterized by faster speed (generally millions to tens of millions of times per second), reliability has been significantly improved, prices have further dropped, and products have become generalized, serialized and standardized. Application fields began to enter the fields of word processing and graphics and image processing.
  

• The fourth generation computer (from 1971 to present) is a large-scale integrated circuit computer.

  In terms of hardware, logic components use large-scale and very large-scale integrated circuits (LSI and VLSI). In terms of software, database management systems, network management systems and object-oriented languages ​​have emerged. In 1971, the world's first microprocessor was born in Silicon Valley, USA, ushering in a new era of microcomputers. The application fields are gradually moving from scientific computing, transaction management, and process control to the home.

  Due to the development of integration technology, semiconductor chips are more integrated. Each chip can accommodate tens of thousands or even millions of transistors, and the arithmetic units and controllers can be concentrated on one chip, thus Microprocessors appeared, and microprocessors and large-scale and very large-scale integrated circuits can be assembled into microcomputers, which are what we often call microcomputers or PCs. Microcomputers are small, cheap, and easy to use, but their functions and computing speed have reached or even exceeded those of large computers in the past. On the other hand, various logic chips manufactured by large-scale and ultra-large-scale integrated circuits have been used to create supercomputers that are not very large in size but can operate at a speed of 100 million or even billions of operations. After our country successfully developed the Galaxy I supercomputer that can perform 100 million operations per second in 1983, it also successfully developed the Galaxy II general-purpose parallel supercomputer that can perform one billion operations per second in 1993. This period also produced a new generation of programming languages, database management systems, and network software.

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